I think (but I'm not entirely sure) that he means that it'd be used for making pallets. I'm sure that's true in some, but not all cases. There were many pallet mills in the area where I used to live in Ohio and they used exclusively low value hardwoods, primarily the various oaks and maples, but pretty much anything was fair game. I've seen pallets being made out of red and white oak, cherry, silver, red and sugar maple, ash, locust, sycamore, sassafras, buckeye, pig and shagbark hickory, mulberry, cottonwood, aspen and more. In the east, I rarely encountered a pallet on a construction site that wasn't hardwood. Here in the west, softwood pallets are much more common, since softwoods predominate. Basically, low value logs, of all species are often used for pallets.
Pricing logs?
- Thread starter softdown
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Pallet wood, wood that is only good for pallets. Are there even any commercial lumber mills left in Colorado? Half of the cost is getting it to the mill.
boards used to make shipping pallets. Low end of the scale. Would not believe some of the crooked logs I have seen put on the debarker!
There is a local mill owned by a local billionaire named Bacon. The logs come from his 170,000 acre ranch. I've heard all they make is 2x4s. Plus they sell some firewood.
He used to take his best logs to a mill in Pueblo, CO while selling the rest as firewood.
Colorado is a very anemic manufacturer outside of Coors brewery.
The cost of getting it to the mill? It isn't worth loading a log and taking it somewhere for $100 in my opinion. Unless they were already stacked. Costs too much to operate heavy equipment in the woods.
fishdrivel
ArboristSite Operative
Very knowledgeable post here but some exaggerations or personal choices?
Pine is not all junk. Even Southern Yellow Pine is not all the same species.
Here in Georgia, Georgia Longleaf Pine is cut down and replanted with loblolly.
Old growth is very good lumber - as good as douglas fir. I'm suspecting you are talking about log cabin wood?
Beam spacing (from charts) is greater for Southern Yellow Pine than Douglas fir!
Southern Yellow pine is notorious for warping with small wood like 2x's Therefore there are advantages for Dog Fir.
Ponderosa Pine is very good appearance but much lower spans, like cedars.
Old growth Southern Yellow Pine is higher density than Doug Fir and one reason that old porches and flooring hangs around for 100's of years.
We turned poplar/cottonwood into pallet. Other lower grade was hemlock which was 6 X 6"s and 1 X 4" , not sure if the boards also became pallet.
Small white pine was 6 X 6" and some 4/4 #2 boards, the bigger ones got some 5/4 clear #1 and FAS.
Also did white and red oaks. Those made some nice 4/4 boards and the best stuff was 8/4 that was all clear.
Small white pine was 6 X 6" and some 4/4 #2 boards, the bigger ones got some 5/4 clear #1 and FAS.
Also did white and red oaks. Those made some nice 4/4 boards and the best stuff was 8/4 that was all clear.
Not the best article, at all, but there are some interesting points here and there: http://www.woodassistant.com/
Hopefully somebody turns up a far more useful guide.
Hopefully somebody turns up a far more useful guide.
Better article regarding pines: https://www.treehugger.com/most-common-north-american-pine-species-1341866
Both articles are poor in regards to what I am looking for:
Ratings for strength, durability, weight, stability, R-value, bug and rot resistance etc.
I used to have this stuff memorized for the major N. American species though I never became too knowledgeable regarding the pine species. There are a LOT of pine species.
Here in Colorado it seems like the vast majority of harvestable trees are pine.
I envy regions with a lot of oak and walnut. Old growth cedar and redwood are also very nice for many applications.
Both articles are poor in regards to what I am looking for:
Ratings for strength, durability, weight, stability, R-value, bug and rot resistance etc.
I used to have this stuff memorized for the major N. American species though I never became too knowledgeable regarding the pine species. There are a LOT of pine species.
Here in Colorado it seems like the vast majority of harvestable trees are pine.
I envy regions with a lot of oak and walnut. Old growth cedar and redwood are also very nice for many applications.
Having just reviewed several wood species articles I will say this. Kids don't write as well as they used to.
old growth loblolly and longleaf are excellent timber but the new super trees with growth rings 1/2" apart are much less so. White pine like we have in the midwest is more like spruce, much lower strength, not used for framing to my knowledge.
Colorado used to have Magpul until the gov decided black guns are evil and ran them off to Texas!
We used to have a couple scope manufacturers as well. Redfield was one as memory serves. Our government is now about as nuts as commiefornia. The mountains and convenience keep me here. Prices went insane in scenic parts of Wyoming and Idaho but we don't hear about that. There are a LOT of people who quietly crave smaller and more responsible governments.
Thoughts on Ponderosa pine? I think that is the dominant local species. Log homes dominate the area that I work. I know pine is excellent for that - high R-value and easy to work. Not too heavy.
You might try searching the Woodweb and/or asking some questions there.
I'm really remote so I mostly socialize on the interwebs. Easier to control in some ways.
Anyway there is this: https://www.wood-database.com/ponderosa-pine/
Interesting that it is classified as a hard pine in spite of its softness.
ya all talking about old growth Southern pine...
its easy to make wood last when its not getting battered by rain daily, Doug fir has only been a lumber tree for around 150 years, give it time to prove itself for rot resistance. S pines have been used for around 600 years.
As for old growth, define old growth? its not likely to see a whole lot of either being cut any time soon.
its easy to make wood last when its not getting battered by rain daily, Doug fir has only been a lumber tree for around 150 years, give it time to prove itself for rot resistance. S pines have been used for around 600 years.
As for old growth, define old growth? its not likely to see a whole lot of either being cut any time soon.
I think longleaf heart lumber will last almost indefinitely outside. I know a corner fence post that has to be almost 100.
Wood does not have a long lifespan. Even Cedar outside. It’s not stainless steel. Some of it is more rot-resistant than others, but it all rots eventually.
Douglas Fir has exceptional properties for structural use. Just because it’s the best does not mean everything else is useless. Lolbolly is commonly framed with in my area. We run a lot of double studs, double top plates and extra blocking to make up for it. It deflects easily, but that’s the nature of the beast. We gotta use what we have.
Some of the wood’s toughness has to do with the environment it came from. The PNW has some harsh weather that trees survive. Georgia gets to enjoy tornadoes and hurricanes, which flatten stands. Between those events, weather is pretty gentle.
Just my $.02. For free.
Douglas Fir has exceptional properties for structural use. Just because it’s the best does not mean everything else is useless. Lolbolly is commonly framed with in my area. We run a lot of double studs, double top plates and extra blocking to make up for it. It deflects easily, but that’s the nature of the beast. We gotta use what we have.
Some of the wood’s toughness has to do with the environment it came from. The PNW has some harsh weather that trees survive. Georgia gets to enjoy tornadoes and hurricanes, which flatten stands. Between those events, weather is pretty gentle.
Just my $.02. For free.
Harsh weather in the PNW? Such as a lot of rain?
Idaho is a great timber state. I wonder what species is dominate in Idaho. Might be Douglas Fir in Oregon?
fishdrivel
ArboristSite Operative
Ponderosa Pine in California is very straight and soft. Very easy to work, as I remember.
Not as strong as Southern Yellow Pine or Doug Fir.
